We’re thrilled to have one of our photos of the Nashville Rollergirls on the cover of the American Psychological Association’s journal, the American Psychologist. Also inside the journal is a full writeup of our project and wanderings!
Back in November, my dad was at an APA meeting, and, as dads do, was looking at our website during a break. One of the artistic editors of the journal happened to look over his shoulder and asked about the work.
She encouraged my dad to encourage us to submit work for the journal - and he happily passed along the message.
The photographs were reviewed by a second artistic editor and the Editor-in-Chief of the journal; while both are friends of my dad’s, it turns out neither of them connected the name until we sat down for the interview.
You can order your own copy here:http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/special/4017313.aspx
Nashville, TN. October 2017.
You might be wondering why you haven’t heard as much from as you’d like during the month of May.
We left Florida and promptly covered 5,000 miles - thankfully Saul’s new engine has been up for the task. The travel has been busy and has left little time for writing, editing, or posting. We wake up, make coffee, pack up, get on the road - meet people, take photos, explore, drive, meet people, take photos, explore, drive, set up for sunset, take photos, make dinner, and go to bed. Sometimes we do things like chase cats that get loose in national forests. Other times we do things like realize there are no working showers or bathrooms at an RV park and fish our deposit out of the self-registration box and get back on the road. Mostly we just go to sleep.
Our travels for the past month have involved sleeping at truck stops, campgrounds, driveways, with a friend who “has a hill,” and more. I’m writing this update from an RV park just south of Seattle - a park with a shower that works independently of quarters or tokens and also has wifi - basically vanlife luxury. I will note that the RV park is so large that I got lost on my way to the lodge this morning. On the plus side, I met my step goal by 9:30 am. On the not so plus side, there was no coffee in the lodge.
Our next week or so won’t be any slower - on Saturday we’re taking the cats to Canada so we can attend a wedding. (The humans are attending, the cats are doing their own thing.) Then we’re headed back across the border and taking a ferry to the Olympic Peninsula. From there we’re scooting back down the coast and landing at the Umpqua National Forest, where we will be for several months.
We have a lot of photos for you - a huge overwhelming backlog from places like the Hill Country of Texas, Santa Fe, Salvation Mountain, Big Sur, California Redwoods, Portland, general Pacific Northwest waterfalls and beauty, and so much more. Hang tight; it’s all coming soon!
Earlier this week we left LA and kicked off our wanderings up the Pacific Coast Highway. (We’ll end up in Vancouver, B.C., so please shout out any recommendations you might have!)
To date, we have one very serious complaint:
Despite checking at least three gas stations and one gift shop, we’ve found no Twizzlers, only Red Vines. (We also came across a gas station with a $5 a gallon price tag, so perhaps we have two complaints. But that’s it!)
To quote AJ, the retired police officer who was our neighbor at a campsite in Morro Bay, “it’s pretty bitchin’ just to be here.” And, it’s true. Just like us, AJ has “itchy feet” and a wandering soul. But, there’s something about the Central Coast that has kept AJ happy, despite his long travel bucket list.
We took AJ’s advice and spent a day near McWay Falls in Big Sur. This 80-foot-tall waterfall is about 40 miles south of Carmel. Take a look at organizations like the Big Sur Land Trust to learn more about the unique challenges facing the coast.
Big Sur, McWay Falls, CA. May 2018.
Justin isn’t the type to make New Year resolutions. But, when January rolled around this year, he decided to give it a go. The goal he set was to take one portrait, of one stranger, a week.
So far, we’ve stuck to the goal - pushing ourselves to engage in conversations, to listen to strangers, and to learn about the unique patches of culture and communities that make up this big ‘ol country of ours.
We’ll spare you the cliches around how every stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet - that just isn’t true. But, through our travels, we have found that with respect and an open mind, a connection can be made with just about anyone.
Not each portrait comes with a story, nor does each story come with a portrait - but each picture we take brings us a new appreciation for the stories, viewpoints, and individuals we see.
Pittsburgh, PA. May 2018.
The world needs more people like Shana. She lives her life with an unwavering commitment to feminism, farmers’ markets, and almond milk lattes. Shana’s work in the nonprofit sector is rooted in building a more just society. An advocate for LGBTQ equality in her professional and personal life, Shana shows up with her full self.
As Shana marked another year around the sun, she asked us to think deeper:
What have you learned this year?
What will you change for next year?
What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?
